"No!" Ara made a barbaric yawp causing all the people at Handel and Gretel, her favorite coffee shop to pay her attention. Wait, what the heck is she doing in the coffee shop? She scanned the place. People were all looking at her like there's something wrong with her face, then she caught her reflection at the glass door. Yes, there was really something wrong with her face. Untidy hair, saliva dripping and mascara smeared around her right eye.
She was just dreaming. There is no Heechul and Kini. She sighed in relief. On the second thought when she caught a glance of herself again, she looked wasted. People would think she is a wild party animal. Wild Animal... she looked exactly like a...
"Agassi, pandas are not allowed inside." Ara traced the voice and found the man sitting on the piano chair. He smiled at her showing his perfect set of teeth, both eyes disappeared as he beamed. He continues to play. Omo! She recalled what happened in the last twenty minutes. The man was playing a melancholic piece. The music was beautiful... its sublime. She closed her eyes to feel the music more but she was too sleepy that it sent her to slumber.
Aigoo, it was embarrassing. She nodded to the people in apology but she could not look the pianist in the eye. Moment of silence. She should leave now. By the time Ara stood up to leave, the silence had broken by the melody coming from the piano. The man started to sing. He was singing It has to be you. Ara knows the song by heart but the voice is also familiar. Her eyes, as if they have a life of their own looked at the pianist direction.
Oh. My. God. She felt a sudden pang of shame like a criminal in a prison cell. She wanted to run away from that place, however she was locked in to her imaginary cell. What she needs is amnesty but it is impossible. The people must have been cursing her. The pianist is not just an ordinary pianist. As if surrendering, her knees gave up and on the spur of the moment, Jongjin, the owner of the place who has become her friend, was standing before her.
"What do you think of my brother?" Jongjin asked in a small voice and before Ara could answer, the teenage girls nearby the piano had performed a fan chant, "Yesung oppa, saranghae!"
